Performance: Overall this laptop's performance was Poor, well below that of many other models and you may notice slowdowns in such things as boot-up, application launching, and video editing. Compared to other tested laptops, performance was okay for common tasks such as web browsing or video conferencing, but may be very slow for more demanding tasks. You would notice this most particularly when opening up applications or during group video conferences. Performance was okay but on the slow side when composing documents, working on data spreadsheets, and running other productivity tasks, and it was so slow that it was difficult to manipulate images, edit videos, and calculate simulations.
Portability: This laptop is a Fair choice for traveling. Battery life lasted 6 hours in a light load of web browsing tests, and 3.75 hours in a heavier load of 4K video playback tests. Results were inadequate for a typical day of mixed use, and you'll need to charge the battery more often than similar laptops. Its max screen brightness was lower than our target for battery tests, which gave it a slight advantage. At 3.7 lbs, this laptop is too heavy for a laptop of this size category.
Ergonomics: Some features of the keyboard, touchpad, and labeling, were well-designed, and were comfortable or convenient to use. The keyboard has large keys and was comfortably sized. Its high contrast letters were easy to read. The power button was well labeled and conveniently located.
Display: The display quality was Fair overall. Colors were in the ballpark, though not completely accurate. The laptop's display was dimmer than most making it hard to see in well lit rooms or outdoors. The display had a narrow viewing angle, so you'll have limited flexibility in how to position the screen for optimal viewability for one user, and it will be difficult for more than one person to look at the screen at the same time. Its display produces a smaller array of colors and has worse contrast than on most other tested laptops, which may lessen the realism of videos or slideshows.
Useful features and attributes on this model include: You can connect common external devices such as hard drives and Blu-ray burners to the USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports for maximum performance. This laptop has a full-size HDMI port for connecting to an HDTV or monitor.
Downsides: There's no optical drive like a CD or DVD reader, so you'll have to buy an external drive if you need one.
